Meet the Co-Founders: Turning Play Into Progress
At Outside the Box Studios, every game is more than entertainment — it’s a carefully designed experience to help children connect, learn, and thrive. Our co-founders, Michelle Horton and Bill Mooney, bring together decades of expertise in clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and world-class game development to create a truly unique, strength-based approach for neurodiverse learners.
Michelle and Bill have also brought together an interdisciplinary team of educators and innovative game designers to ensure every game blends engaging, interactive fun with meaningful skill development.
What makes this approach truly unique is our collaborative design process — when piloting projects, we work directly with the children and adolescents who are playing the game. Their ideas, feedback, and creativity are incorporated into the design, ensuring the games feel relevant, motivating, and empowering for the players themselves.
Michelle Horton is a clinical psychologist and diplomate in school neuropsychology with over 30 years of experience working with neurodiverse children and adolescents in schools, clinics, and private practice. Her commitment to helping students be understood and celebrated for their unique gifts led to the vision for Outside the Box Studios.
Bill Mooney is a former litigator turned gaming industry leader with more than two decades of experience at Zynga, ROBLOX, and Electronic Arts, where he helped create iconic games like FarmVille, Zynga Poker, and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. As a neurodiverse creator, his expertise in social gaming and deep knowledge of Roblox were critical in shaping our interactive, therapeutic approach.
Our Mission & Collaboration
Together, Michelle and Bill unite therapeutic expertise with gaming innovation to design interactive, therapist-led experiences that build social skills, executive function, and self-regulation — while affirming the strengths of neurodiverse learners. By combining Michelle’s clinical insight, Bill’s deep understanding of game engagement, the creativity of their interdisciplinary team, and the voices of the children who play, they’ve created a program that transforms play into meaningful growth.
Unlocking Hidden Talents Through Play
In our sessions, children enter immersive, low-pressure gaming worlds where they can experiment, solve problems, and collaborate in ways that reveal their true abilities. Often, hidden talents — like leadership, creativity, empathy, and persistence — emerge for the first time. Guided by therapists, these moments are recognized, celebrated, and connected to real-life situations, helping children carry their skills beyond the game. Every step is strength-affirming, ensuring that neurodiverse students feel seen, valued, and empowered.